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Boston Celtics (24-14) at Indiana Pacers (8-31)
Monday, January 12, 2026
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #39, Road Game #20
TV: Peacock
Radio: 98.5 The Sports Hub, 107.5 The Fan, Sirius XM
Gainbridge Fieldhouse
Probable Celtics Starters 
PG: Derrick White ...................................... SG: Payton Pritchard
C: Neemias Queta
SF: Baylor Scheierman ............................................ PF: Jordan Walsh
Celtics ReservesAnfernee Simons
Xavier Tillman
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Chris Boucher
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/OutJayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Josh Minott (ankle) out
Jaylen Brown (back) doubtful
Sam Hauser (hamstring) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Pacers Starters
PG: Andrew Nembhard.................................................. SG: Aaron Nesmith
C: Jay Huff
SF: Johnny Furphy .............................................. PF: Pascal Siakam
Pacers Reserves Tony Bradley
Kam Jones
TJ McConnell
Micah Potter
Ben Sheppard
Jarace Walker
Two-Way Players Quenton Jackson
Taelon Peter
Ethan Thompson
Injuries/Out Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) out
Obi Toppin (foot) out
Isaiah Jackson (concussion) out
Bennedict Mathurin (thumb) out
Andrew Nembhard (back) questionable
Head Coach Rick Carlisle
Game Notes The Celtics finished their 4 game home stand and now visit the Indiana Pacers at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse. This is the 3rd of 4 games between them this season. The Celtics won the first game 103-95 on December 22 in Boston and they won the 2nd game 140-122 on December 26 in Indiana. They will finish out the series in Boston on January 21. The Pacers won the series 2-1 last season, with the Celtics winning one in Boston and losing 1 in Boston and one in Indiana. The Celtic are 112-87 overall all time against the Pacers. They are 42-58 in games played in Indiana.
Unlike the Celtics who changed a lot after Jayson Tatum's Achilles injury, the Pacers stayed mostly the same with just a couple changes after Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles injury. Like the Celtics they lost 2 centers to free agency when Myles Turner and Thomas Bryant left. The Pacers signed Jay Huff to fill Turner's role at center. They also drafted Kam Jones with the 38th pick and Taelon Peter with the 54th pick. Both teams were expected to take a gap year but the Celtics somehow are competing for a playoff spot, while the Pacers are not, even though the Celtics also lost their starting point guard and a third center.
The Celtics are 3rd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit, and half a game behind 2nd place New York. They are 1 game ahead of 4th place Toronto, 2.5 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 3 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 7th place Cleveland. The Celtics are 17-8 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 12-7 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last game.
The Pacers are 15th in the East, 20.5 games behind first place Detroit. They are 6 games behind 12th place Charlotte, 4.5 games behind 13th place Brooklyn, and 3 games behind 14th place Washiington. The Pacers are 6-19 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 6-15 at home and 2-8 in their last 10 games. They have won their last 2 games.
After their 2-2 home stand, the Celtics begin a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and Detroit. They will then play one game at home against Indiana before playing Brooklyn and Chicago on the road. They will then have another 4 game home stand against Portland, Atlanta, Sacramento and Milwaukee.
This is the first game of a 3 game home stand for Indiana that will also include Toronto and New Orleans. They will then go on a 5 game road trip through Detroit, Philadelphia, Boston, Oklahoma City and Atlanta. They will then host Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and Utah before a 6 game road trip through Milwaukee, Toronto, New York, Brooklyn and 2 games at Washington.
Jayson Tatum remains out with the Achilles injury he suffered in last year's playoffs, one round earlier than Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton injured his Achilles. Josh Minott will miss his third game with a sprained ankle. Jaylen Brown is doubtful for this game due to lower-back spasms. Sam Hauser is questionable for this game due to hamstring tightness. I'm making a wild guess that Scheierman will start at small forward and that Walsh will once again start at power forward. However, with Joe Mazzulla we never know who will start and who will play, even when there aren't injuries.
For the Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton remains out as he rehabs from the Achilles tear he suffered in the Eastern Conference Finals. Isaiah Jackson remains out due to a concussion. He has cleared the protocol but needs to ramp up his conditioning. Bennedict Mathurin is out due to a thumb injury. Obi Toppin is out due to a foot injury. I've listed the starters that the Pacers have posted on their game notes.
Key Matchups vs
Jordan Walsh vs Pascal Siakam
Siakam is averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 48% from the field and 37.2% from beyond the arc. Over his career, Siakam has averaged 17.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game against the Celtics. In the 2 games this season, he averaged 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 41.9% from the field and 40.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well in this game.
vs
Derrick White vs Andrew Nembhard
Nembhard is averaging 17.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists and 1 steal while shooting 44.5% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he has averaged 10.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game. In the first 2 games he averaged 19 points, 3 rebounds, and 7.5 assists while shooting 50% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc. Nembhard is questionable and if he can't play, Sheppard or McConnell may get the start here.
Honorable Mention Payton Pritchard vs Aaron Nesmith
Nesmith is averaging 14.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 37.8% from the field and 39.3% from beyond the arc. Over his career against the Celtics, he averaged 2.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He didn't play in either of the first 2 games against the Celtics this season. He always likes to play well against his former team.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense is the key to winning every single game. The Pacers haven't been the scoring juggernaut they were last season. They are 29th in the league with an offensive rating of 108.6 while the Celtics have an offensive rating of 121.9 (2nd). The Celtics are 16th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.5. The Pacers are 20th with a defensive rating of 116.2. In the first game between these two teams, the Celtics allowed the Pacers to score 61 points in the first half and they trailed by 18 points at the half. The held them to 34 points in the second half and won the game. They have to play tough defense from the tip through the final buzzer in this one and not just for one half.
Rebound - The Celtics are 16th in the league, pulling down 44.4 rebounds per game. The Pacers are 24th with 42.7 rebounds per game. It is important for the Celtics to rebound the ball to give themselves extra possessions and to prevent the Pacers from getting the same along with 2nd chance points. Much of rebounding is effort and the Celtics have got to put out more effort than the Pacers to grab rebounds for all 4 quarters.
Don't Underestimate - It seems that we have had a lot of these games recently where the Celtics might be tempted to underestimate their opponent. They have to come out and play hard from start to finish in this one and not underestimate the Pacers who seem to be tanking but are coming off a win over the Heat and have had a few good wins this season.
Play the Right Way - The Celtics need to move the ball to find the best shot. When they hold the ball and try to do too much individually, the Celtics struggle. But, when they keep the ball moving and move without the ball, they are very tough to beat. They need to focus on playing defense and having each others backs. They need to crash the boards and box out. They need to focus on taking and making good shots. If the 3's aren't falling, take the ball to the basket. Play with focus, effort, and energy.
X-Factors On The Road and Revenge - The Celtics are playing on the road and they are facing the distractions of travel and a hostile crowd and they can't allow those distractions to take away from their focus on the game. The Celtics beat the Pacers two times already this season and so the Pacers may have revenge on their minds for those two losses.
Officiating - Officiating can always be an x-factor. Every officiating crew calls the game differently. Will the refs call it tight? Will they let them play? Will they give the Celtics more than 4 free throws? Will they try to make up for the Celtics getting shorted in their last game or will they be even more stingy with fouls since Jaylen Brown called them out for it? Celtics have to play through however the refs call the game, whether it is tight or they let them play or they make terrible calls. The Celtics can't allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus on the game.
Topic: Celtics (24-14) at Pacers (8-31) Game #39 1/12/26 (Read 220 times)